RCMP arrested award-winning photojournalist Amber Bracken in 2021 while she was covering the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff in Northern B.C. for The Narwhal. Now, both Bracken and The Narwhal are suing the RCMP for what they say was a concerted campaign to limit press freedom. We connect with Amber Bracken and Narwhal co-founder Carol Linnitt (35:00) just moments before they head to court in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.

HIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN AN EXCHANGE SHOULDN'T BE A GAMBLE. RapidEX IS SECURE, FINTRAC-REGISTERED, AND NON-CUSTODIAL. SAVE 50% ON FEES ON ONLINE INTERAC E-TRANSFER TRADES WITH PROMO CODE RYAN50 AT https://rapidexfinancial.com/.

But first...

6:00 | Thousands of Canadians are calling on the feds to ban X, Elon Musk's social media platform formerly known as Twitter. This, after revelations the platform's Grok AI tool is being used to generate sexualized images of children and unconsenting adults. But is a ban really the right move? We ask tech expert and SiriusXM host Amber MacArthur.

MORE FROM AMBER MAC: https://ambermac.com/

35:00 | Amber Bracken and Carol Linnitt update us on The Narwhal's court battle against the RCMP.

LEARN MORE/SUPPORT AMBER & THE NARWHAL: https://thenarwhal.ca/press-freedom/

59:10 | Jespo shares a few memories from his magical weekend in Jasper, and tees up a couple upcoming events you've got to check out during Jasper in January! #MyJasper Memories is presented Wednesdays on Real Talk by our friends at Tourism Jasper.

APRES WINE: https://www.jasper.travel/january/events/apres-wine/

MOUNTAIN MALANKA: https://www.jasper.travel/january/events/mountain-malanka/

1:07:45 | Ryan's struck by an apology in the Live Chat.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Coastal First Nations leaders before heading to China for Canada's first formal PM visit since 2017. This, amid uncertainty in Venezuela. Dr. Heather Exner-Pirot and Max Fawcett talk implications (3:15) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.

THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY HANSEN DISTILLERY -- EDMONTON'S ORIGINAL DISTILLERY -- ROOTED IN PRAIRIE GRIT AND A REBELLIOUS SPIRIT. PROUDLY LOCAL, ALWAYS ORIGINAL. HANSEN DISTILLERY IS MADE RIGHT, RIGHT HERE. https://hansendistillery.com/

READ MAX'S WORK: https://www.nationalobserver.com/2026/01/12/opinion/twitter-x-musk-canada-politicians

MORE FROM HEATHER: https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/cm-expert/heather-exner-pirot/

MBEW: https://www.mercedes-benz-edmontonwest.ca/

33:45 | Max sticks around to talk about Chinese EV tariffs (and what Canadians want), plus we get to an interesting email on coal and steel production from Real Talker Marcus, P.Eng (1:00:00) and a remarkable statement from Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal (1:10:30).

55:45 | Real Talker Sara leads off this edition of Echoes of the Alex presented by the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. Then, we hear about Frances and Roy's incredible connection to The Alex.

SUPPORT THE ROYAL ALEX: https://givetoroyalalex.org/

Registration is open for the Real Talk Pond Hockey Classic on Saturday, January 31 in St. Albert!

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The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.

Venezuela. Greenland. Iran. A Minnesota mom is dead, and ICE protests continue across the country. POTUS is threatening to indict the Federal Reserve Chair. You could argue all hell has *already* broken loose in the United States, but is the nation headed toward a legit breaking point? Supriya Dwivedi gets into it (3:45) in our feature interview presented by Mercedes-Benz Edmonton West.

THIS EPISODE IS PRESENTED BY RapidEX FINANCIAL. THE CRYPTO WORLD MOVES FAST, BUT YOUR TRUST IN AN EXCHANGE SHOULDN'T BE A GAMBLE. RapidEX IS SECURE, FINTRAC-REGISTERED, AND NON-CUSTODIAL. SAVE 50% ON FEES ON ONLINE INTERAC E-TRANSFER TRADES WITH PROMO CODE RYAN50 AT https://rapidexfinancial.com/.

38:10 | Where should PM Mark Carney's focus be in China, and what would define a successful visit? Supriya tells us what she's keeping an eye on. Plus, should Canada (and other countries) consider banning X if the platform can't prevent users from using its AI tool to generate sexual deepfakes (45:45)?

1:19:30 | Did you see Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann honouring a deceased fan by wearing his grocery store vest to a game over the weekend? Real Talker Landon submits his Positive Reflection, proudly presented by our friends at Solar by Kuby.

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THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR SPONSORS! https://ryanjespersen.com/sponsors

The views and opinions expressed in this show are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Relay Communications Group Inc. or any affiliates.